When you’re busy building a career or business, taking care of yourself can end up as the least important topic on your list of competing priorities. But let’s be honest with ourselves, burnout is very real. When you’re not being good to yourself, you’re no good for anyone else. Self-care has become such a buzz term that it’s easy to forget the importance of actually practicing it. We are always thinking of ways to reach our goals, accomplish our next great achievement and level up in our businesses or careers. Sometimes, In the midst of planning for our next big thing, we forget to keep our own mental, physical and emotional health top of mind.

Here are 3 ways that you can nourish your soul while nourishing your goals:

Take Daily “Me” Breaks

This is a time when it’s okay for everything to be about you (because it should be). Take some time out for yourself. Meditate, paint your nails, read a book for pleasure. Whatever it is that YOU want to do, do it. Everything you do does not have to result in a business outcome. It is okay to make yourself a priority.  Make this a consistent thing: Pick a consistent time during the day, add the time into your calendar so you’re more inclined to take it and simply enjoy doing something you love. Get out of “go mode”. We are conditioned to always strive to achieve something or gain some outcome. Decompress, detach and be ok with it. Doing this will foster creativity because you will be able to step away from your thoughts and let your innovative juices flow.

Find Your Tribe

As a high achieving entrepreneur, career professional or woman in leadership, it can be difficult to find nourishing relationships.  We can be so busy moving and shaking that we forget to build these connections. Healthy relationships with like-minded people give us the opportunity to gain support, celebrate our wins, vent about our losses and understand that we aren’t alone in our struggles. Our emotional needs are just as powerful as our physical ones and we have to recognize how we can be affected by them. When a group of supportive peers are working towards the same goals as you, it’s easier to hold each other accountable. Accountability can be therapeutic because as you see yourself progress, you become more motivated to finish what you started.  

Start Journaling

When your brain just won’t turn off, try getting those thoughts out with journaling. You will begin to find joy in the small things and become more appreciative of your journey despite any challenges or obstacles in your path. Journaling can be extremely cathartic and you might find out things about yourself that you never knew. Putting pen to paper can help you find clarity in difficult situations. If you can’t think of anything to start with, begin with gratitude. Jot down 3-5 things daily (in the morning or at night) that you are grateful for. It’s natural for most of us to focus on the negative things that we go through. To change these thoughts and nourish your mind, you have to adopt a mindset of gratitude. Expressing gratitude will shift your focus to positive experiences.

Content courtesy of Afenya Pongo Montgomery.  This content was originally published on The Glu and can be found here.

Contributing Author, Afenya Pongo Montgomery

Afenya took a leap from being a nurse focused on healthcare consulting to becoming a ladyboss determined to help women and people of color leap into entrepreneurship. She’s founder and Chief Innovator behind The iCAN Collective, a professional development platform that connects diverse entrepreneurs to resources, information, business partnerships and collaborations through live events.

Since long walks on the beach at sunset are few and far between, she mainly enjoys spending her time as a business strategist, helping new entrepreneurs create, launch and scale viable businesses. When she’s not working with other Girlboss CEOs on building brands and businesses that they can be proud of, she’s juggling le struggle of being the ultimate momboss at home with 3 junior girlbosses and a law-enforcing hubby.

You can keep up with Afenya on her website here.

You can connect with Afenya on her Facebook page and follow her work on iCAN Collective Facebook page too. This Ladyboss also has an Instagram page for herself and her business! Go give her a follow you won’t regret it.